further detail in the following verses the grounds of justification to which he had referred, chap. iv. 24, 25, namely, the interest of believers both in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The expression, then, dead to sin, does not in any degree relate to their character or conduct, but exclusively to their state before God. Their character or conduct, with regard to abstinence from the commission of sin, is referred to in the question that follows, demanding, How those who are dead to sin shall live any longer therein ?” But to explain the expression" dead to sin," as meaning dead to the influence and love of sin is entirely erroneous, and what the Apostle by no means asserts. Death to the influence and love of sin must involve their annihilation in the person of whom this could be affirmed, for death annihilates to its subject all things whatsoever, and in this case it might well be said with Mr Stuart, that a man who is dead to sin has "become insensible to its exciting power or influence, as a dead person is incapable of sensibility." How Mr Stuart could make such statements, thrice repeated, yet totally unfounded, and flatly contradicted by every man's experience, is indeed astonishing.

Utterly erroneous, too, is the explanation of other Commentators, who say that the meaning is dead to "the guilt and power" of sin, thus joining death to the power, to death to the guilt of sin. This indicates a condition with respect to sin which was never realized in any of the children of Adam while in this world. No believer is dead to the power of sin, as Paul has abundantly shown in the 7th chapter of this Epistle. On the contrary, he there affirms that there was a law in his members which warred against the law of his

mind, that he did the things he would not, and that when he would do good, evil (and what is this but the power of sin ?) was present with him. The same truth is clearly exhibited in all the other Epistles, in which believers are so often reproved for giving way to the power of sin, and earnestly exhorted and warned against doing so. But when the expression is understood as exclusively signifying dead to the GUILT of sin, it may and must be taken in the full sense of what death imparts, being nothing less than absolute, total, and final deliverance from its guilt. To suppose, then, that in these words there is the smallest reference to the character or conduct of believers-to their freedom from the love or power of sin―to conjoin these in any respect, or in any degree with their freedom from its guilt, in other words, with their justified state, is not merely to misapprehend the meaning of the Apostle, but to represent him as stating that to be a fact which has no existence ; while it deprives the passage of the consolation to believers, which, when properly understood, it is so eminently calculated to impart.

In proof of the correctness of this view of the subject, let it be remembered that the Apostle's refutation in the following verses, of the supposed objection, does not rest on the supposition that sin is mortified in himself and those whom he is addressing, or that they are released from any propensity to it; but on the fact of their being one with Jesus Christ. They are united to him in his death, and consequently in his life, which was communicated to them by Him who is "a quickening spirit," and thus their walking with him in newness of life, as well as their resurrection with him, are secured. These ideas are exhibited in the 3d, 4th,

5th, and 6th verses. In the 7th verse, the reason of the whole is summed up; " for he who is dead (with Christ) is justified from sin," and in the 8th verse, that which will afterwards follow our being justified from sin is stated" If we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him." Finally, in the 9th and 10th verses, the Apostle declares the consequence of Christ's dying to sin to be, that he liveth unto God. The same effect in respect to the members must follow, as to the Head with whom believers are one; and, therefore, he immediately proceeds to assure them, in the 14th verse, that sin shall not have dominion over them. The result, then, of the doctrine of justification by grace is the very reverse of giving not merely licence, but even place to continue in sin. On the contrary, according to that doctrine, the power of God is engaged to secure to those who are dead to sin, i. e., justified, a life of holiness corresponding with that state into which, by their union with his Son, he has brought them.

The full import and consequence of being dead to sin, will be found, chap. iv. 7, 8. "Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." They who are dead to sin are those from whom, in its guilt or condemning power, it is in Christ Jesus entirely removed. Such persons, whose sins are thus covered, are pronounced "blessed." They enjoy the favour and blessing of God. The necessary effect of this blessing is declared in the new covenant, according to which, when God is merciful to the unrighteousness of his people, and remembers their sins and iniquities no more, he puts his laws into their mind, and writes them in their hearts, and promises

that he will be to them a God, and they shall be to him a people. In one word, they who are dead to sin are united to him who is the fountain of life and holiness, and are thus delivered from the curse pronounced upon those who, being under the law, continue not in all things that are written in the book of the law to do them. The guilt of their sins, which separated between them and God having now been cancelled, they enjoy his favour, and all its blessed effects. It is upon these great truths that the Apostle rests his absolute denial that the doctrine of justification by grace, which he had been unfolding, is compatible with continuing to live in sin.

Live any longer therein.-To continue in sin, and to live any longer therein, are equivalent expressions, implying that before their death to sin, the Apostle himself, and all those whom he now addressed, were enslaved by sin, and lived in it. In the same way-in writing to the saints at Ephesus-he says, that formerly he and all of them had their conversation among the children of disobedience, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. By denying, then, that believers continue in sin, he does not mean to say that they never commit sin, or fall into it, or, according to Mr Stuart, have become insensible to its influence, or to Mr Tholuck, that they "obey it in nothing any more;" for, as has been observed, it is abundantly shown in the 7th chapter, where he gives an account of his own experience (which is also the experience of every Christian), that this is very far from being a fact; but he denies that they continue to live as formerly in sin and ungodliness, which he had shown was impossible. Here

it

may however be remarked, that the full answer which

in the following verses is given to the objection brought against the tendency of the doctrine of justification, cannot be understood by the natural man, to whom it must appear foolishness. Hence, the same calumny is repeated to the present day against this part of divine truth.

V. 3.-Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptised into his death?

In this and the following verses, Paul proceeds to give his full answer to the objection he had supposed, by showing that the sanctification of believers rests on the same foundation, and springs from the same source as their justification, namely, their union with Jesus Christ, and, therefore, so far from their being contrary to each other, they are not merely in perfect harmony, but absolutely inseparable; and not only so, but the one cannot exist without the other. In the conclusion of the preceding chapter he had declared that sin had reigned unto death. It reigned unto the death of Jesus Christ, the surety of his people, who, as is said in the 4th verse of the chapter before us, "died unto sin." But as in his death its reign as to him terminated, so its reign also terminated as to all his people, who with him are "dead to sin." The effect, then, of his death being the termination of the reign of sin, it was at the same time to them the commencement of the reign of grace, which took place "through righteousness, the everlasting righteousness brought in by his death." Instead, therefore, of being under the reign of sin, Christians are under grace, whereby they 66 serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear," Heb. xii. 28. It may, however, be remarked, that although their union with Christ is the ground of the Apostle's